Considering the success of the CBS Sports broadcast for the PGA Championship, prospects are looking good for professional golf. Given the added complications of coronavirus, the triumph of this event is incredibly impressive.
Since its return at the end of July, the NBA and ESPN have worked tirelessly to learn from the hiccups of their predecessors, address the unique challenges and opportunities posed by the bubble league format, and simply put on a great show night after night.
While MLB has already demonstrated a profound readiness to innovate in the face of COVID-19, it’s likely that the league and the broadcasters who cover it will continue to adapt to the ever-changing circumstances of the moment.
Of the many live sports events that have leveraged remote production technology to return to the field in the wake of COVID-19, one of the earliest and most impressive was the 2020 NFL Draft, which was held over three days in late April. This month, we’ve seen this spirit once again as the 2020 MLB Draft airs between June 10th and June 11th, bringing baseball fans some of the excitement they’ve been deferred.
As live sports begin to resume and leagues and production teams work to navigate hurdles both small and large, that innovative spirit is more valuable than ever. It’s helped keep players, administrators, and broadcasters safe so that leagues and their partners can help bring the game back to the fans.
As other leagues have shown in the past few weeks, staying adaptable and alert as to conditions and challenges is the key to a stellar return to play. With the proper protocol and regulation, the PGA Tour could be yet another story of triumph — a real hole-in-one.
While better positioned than most sports for a return, the work that NASCAR and Fox have done to get back to racing is remarkable, and hopefully provides a roadmap for others who think this might be the moment for them to come back.
Based on the all-time record viewership and the rapturous reactions from those who watched the NFL draft, the final product was a massive (and safe) success!
Esports — with its democratic production models, vast and diverse offerings, and a passionate and vocal fanbase extremely tapped into social media — is an incredible opportunity for media organizations who recognize the need to be creative, flexible, and vigilant under COVID-19.
As both a social sensation and business, the rise of Esports offers a great deal to enterprises that are wise enough to engage. While previously considered a niche hobby, competitive gaming is swiftly becoming just as popular as traditional sports and pushing industry innovation in ways that no one might have previously predicted.
Social media is a vital aspect of live production, almost by design. Live events — be they sporting events, gaming competitions, or holiday spectacles — create a vibrant sense of community for audiences.
There’s so much going on in sports production. The technological innovations around graphics and AR, the advancement of resolutions, the distribution via OTT platforms, and the integration of social media all combine to make sports production a hot and dynamic place to be right now.
